Warriors Fire Mark Jackson As Coach After Three Seasons

The Golden State Warriors have relieved Head Coach Mark Jackson of his duties, the team announced today. Jackson, who recently completed his third season as head coach of the team, guided the Warriors to a 51-31 record this season and a combined 121-109 record (.526) during his tenure in the Bay Area. Jackson was named the 24th head coach in the team’s West Coast history on June 6, 2011.

“It’s never easy to make a decision of this nature,” said General Manager Bob Myers. “Mark has accomplished many good things during his three years with the organization, including his role in helping elevate this team into a better position than it was when he arrived nearly 36 months ago. We’re appreciative of his dedication and commitment since his arrival and are extremely grateful for his contributions. However, as an organization, we simply feel it’s best to move in a different direction at this time.”

“Mark Jackson has had a big impact on the improvement of our team and the success that we’ve had over the last couple of years,” said Owner & CEO Joe Lacob. “Nonetheless, we must make some difficult decisions in our day-to-day operations of the club and this would certainly qualify as one of those examples. We wish Mark the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions over the last three years.”

Jackson had been at the center of rumors of conflict with the front office and ownership for months. Two of his assistant coaches, Brian Scalabrine and Darren Erman had been removed in the past two months. Scalabrine was reassigned after Jackson reportedly tried to fire him in front of Warriors players without clearing it with ownership, and Erman was caught recording conversations in what is reportedly an effort to illustrate the way Jackson and the rest of the staff were unermining his authority.

Jackson finishes with a 121-109 record, 9-10 in playoff games and consecutive playoff appearances. The Warriors upset the Denver Nuggets in last year’s first round, and loss to the Clippers in the first round in seven games this season, despite the loss of Andrew Bogut for the season due to injury.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob denied having made a decision about Jackson last week. Reports surfaced recently that Jackson had clashed with legend and front office member Jerry West over West’s presence at practice.